Answer
In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.
In this fatwa:
The months of Hajj are Shawwal, Dhul-Qidah, and Dhul-Hijjah.
With regard to your question, Sheikh `Atiyyah Saqr, former head of Al-Azhar Fatwa Committee, states:
Hajj is one of the five pillars of Islam. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, “Islam is built upon five pillars: testifying that there is no true god except Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, performing Prayer, paying the Zakah, making the pilgrimage to the Sacred House (Hajj), and fasting the month of Ramadan.”(Al-Bukhari)
Allah says in the Quran, {They ask you concerning the new moons. Say: They are but signs to mark fixed periods of time. In the affairs of men, and for Pilgrimage.} (Al-Baqarah 2:189)
Also, He, Most High, says, {for Hajj are the months well-known. If anyone undertakes that duty therein, let there be no obscenity, nor wickedness, nor wrangling in the Hajj. And whatever good you do, be sure Allah knows it.} (Al-Baqarah 2:197)
Hajj is an Islamic ritual like prayer and fasting. It should be done in a specified period of time. The Hajj months are Shawwal, Dhul-Qidah, and Dhul-Hijjah.
If a person makes Ihram before Shawwal, his Hajj is incorrect according to Ibn `Abbas, Ibn `Umar, and Ash-Shafi`i.
However, Abu Hanifah, Malik, and Ahmad see that the Ihram is correct but not recommended. However, Umrah has no specified time.
Almighty Allah knows best.
Editor’s note: This fatwa is from Ask the Scholar’s archive and was originally published at an earlier date.